


Stop the Bite™

by Imnotweirdjustwriting



Category: The Dark Artifices Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Anti-nail biting techniques, Blackthorn bonding, Gen, Nail Polish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 17:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9503060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imnotweirdjustwriting/pseuds/Imnotweirdjustwriting
Summary: "It's interesting, Ty was just telling me about how they fix that issue in mundane children," Mark mused. "They paint their nails with foul tasting paint."Julian scoffed. "We don't have anything like that. I think we only have nail polish at the best.""Well, that is foul tasting enough." Mark said, sounding like he knew from experience.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you MacKenzie for helping me speak like Mark.

  
Julian's fingertips were ringed with blood from his destroyed nails. He had been more stressed than usual. With Mark, and Christina, and his siblings, and Emma. His usually bitten and chipped nails were reduced to cuticles and blood. His fingers stung.

  
It didn't take Mark long to notice them, as it hadn't taken him long to notice Julian's habit in the first place.

  
Julian was tearing at his pinkie when Mark touched his shoulder.

  
"Little brother," Mark said softly, his two-colored eyes fixed on Julian's hand. "Are you stressed?"

  
Julian lowered his hand and glanced at his brother. He was looking at him with something close to pity.

  
"It's nothing, Mark," he lied. He wasn't going to yell at Mark, tell him he was the problem. Mark was just trying to fit in again. He wasn't going to make that harder.

  
"It's interesting, Ty was just telling me about how they fix that issue in mundane children," Mark mused. "They paint their nails with foul tasting paint."

  
Julian scoffed. "We don't have anything like that. I think we only have nail polish at the best."

  
"Well, that is foul tasting enough." Mark said, sounding like he knew from experience.

  
Mark was looking at him with those eyes, and he truly was trying to help in his own way. And Julian wanted him to help.

  
"You said Ty was telling you? So does he know where the nail polish is?"

  
The smile that lit Mark's face was like none that Julian had seen on his features in a long while. "Of course, I'm sure he said Livvy had some in as many colors as you have paints," Mark grabbed Julian's bleeding hand. "Come, let us inquire as to where it is."

  
Julian allowed Mark to drag him to Livia's room. Livvy opened the door when they knocked. Ty was sprawled on the bed with Church, _A Study in Scarlet_ in front of him and his headphones over his ears.

  
"What's up?" Livvy asked, settling into the bed next to Ty. He glanced up at them and pulled his headphones down around his neck.

  
"Do you have any nail polish? Particularly of the foul tasting kind." Mark asked.

  
Livia looked confused. "Yeah, Drusilla and I have some. Emma probably does, too. Why?"

  
"Mark thinks I should paint my nails," Julian said.

 

Livvy looked excited. "Why didn't you say that? Here I think it's in this drawer," she leapt off the bed and opened one of the drawers on her dresser. She heaved a bucket full of every color Julian had seen and dropped it on the bed.

  
"What color?" She asked. Julian picked one or two out, but he wasn't sure what he was looking for. Ty scooted closer, combing through the colors. Mark joined Ty in searching for polish. He removed a gray and handed it to Tiberius. Ty looked please with the choice.

  
"I think perhaps I would like a green," Mark said.

  
Livvy pulled out three shades for Mark. Julian wasn't sure why Mark wanted to paint his nails, but it was making them all happy and he wouldn't stop them.

  
"Jules, what about this one?" Livvy asked.

  
The blue-green hue matched his sea-glass bracelet perfectly.

  
"That's perfect, Livvy."

  
Livvy patted her leg, "Here, put your hand on my knee."

  
Julian obliged. Livvy carefully applied the polish to his stubby fingernails. Julian glanced at Mark and Ty as she did it. Ty was meticulously painting his nails dark gray. Mark was trying to mimic his method, but most of his finger tip was green.

  
"This color really brings out your eyes," Livvy said, grinning at him. She moved on to his second hand, her strokes almost as perfect as Tibby's. Julian grinned back at her. He hadn't seen his siblings this happy for a while.

  
"It brings out yours, too," Julian pointed out. Livia finished with his second hand and dropped them. "Want me to paint yours?"

  
She picked a bright orange that almost hurt Julian's eyes. Julian was careful as he applied the harsh shade. Painting nails was just like painting canvas, albeit a very small and moving canvas. Livia was proud of his work.

  
"We should do manicures more often." She said. Ty nodded, looking pleased. He was helping Mark remove the copious amounts of nail polish splattered on his hands.

  
Julian left his siblings happy and content. He lifted a hand to chew on his nail, but stopped when he saw the perfect paint. He was going to stop biting his nails as long as his brothers and sisters were happy. And he was going to make manicure Monday mandatory.

  
So the Blackthorn family was known for their blue-green eyes, and their perfect nail polish.

**Author's Note:**

> Is this out of character? Probably. Does it matter? No. Let them be happy.  
> Posted from an iPhone tell me if formatting sucks.


End file.
